Hello!!! Continue to read!!
Sorry this took so long, I've been real busy with Miss Independent.
IMPORTANT NOTE: I have decided that I'm not going to make this a romance. I just have too many ideas for this one and romance would just get in the way. So, it will now be PURELY friendship. FRIENDSHIP.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I do own Fern, Kirya, Gika, Meia, Himoko, and Kali.
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The school bell rang, much to the delight of many weary students. The front doors were flooded immediately with teenagers wanting to get home as soon as possible. Fern was among them, even though home was not her destination. She walked with small hurried steps, swinging her leather book bag playfully, a bright smile replacing the frown she had worn inside the school.
Kurama was also leaving, and was about to begin the journey to his own house when he suddenly remembered that Fern's golden rose pin was still resting in his pocket. He hurriedly glanced around, and spotted her turning the corner at the intersection. He decided that he might as well return her pin, and began to walk in the same direction she had gone.
He knew that he should just run up and give it to her, but there was a small tugging in his mind that was still reminding him about the plant on the windowsill. There is no possible way that a plant could grow in a solitary hour.....There's something....different about her....Maybe I could just see where she's going...
So, he walked a small distance behind her, trying to act like he was just walking home. Fern was heading towards town, still swinging her book bag. Kurama started to wonder if she was going to the grocery store or something like that, but she passed every major building on her route.
She was beginning to near the edge of town and still was not slowing her pace any. There's nothing down here...except the greenhouse....Kurama thought. Maybe she's going there...
His prediction was fulfilled when she strolled through the entrance, looking around wildly with a light of happiness in her eyes. She seemed to breathe more wholesomely.
The owner of the greenhouse, busy with some lilies, glanced up and smiled when he noticed Fern.
"So, you are back again." He said, wearing a wry expression.
"Yes, and I'm terribly sorry, but do you have any..."
"Rose seeds?"
"Yes, if it's not too much trouble."
The owner just stared at her for a moment, and then starting to laugh, picked out a bag of rose seeds and handed them to her.
"You just moved here two days ago, and already you've been here ten times and have always asked for the same thing. What is this fascination with roses?
Fern didn't answer, but just rummaged the last of her money together, and shoved it into the owner's hands. "Thank-you."
She turned and scurried out of the greenhouse, but instead of going back into town, she made a sharp turn and began to walk into the forest, grasping the bag of seeds tightly.
Kurama, who had been waiting for her to emerge, quickly started after her, but still keeping a distance.
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I didn't even know the forest was this big....
He had been following Fern for the past half-hour, and still she showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.
I'm going to have to turn around soon, I'm never going to be able to find my way back...
Suddenly, a ray of sunlight shone right into his eyes. Holding up a hand to shield himself, he suddenly noticed that the small path had opened up into a clearing. A clearing that was truly amazing, spellbounding. Not wanting to be seen, he quickly ducked behind a nearby bush and then began to let his eyes wander around the garden that he had come to.
It seemed to be filled to the brim with hundreds and thousands of roses, all different colors and designs. What was the most noticeable, though, was that in the center, there was a circle of beautiful red roses. He then noticed Fern, who had laid her book bag aside, walk slowly to this circle and then settle onto the ground just outside it. She then carefully opened the pouch of rose seeds and pulled one out. She cupped it in her hand and closed her eyes.
Kurama started to wonder what she was doing until her hands suddenly began to glow, emitting a green light. The small seed suddenly began to shake and then burst and began to grow, right there in her hand. Not wasting any time, she quickly dug a small hole using the hand that was not holding the growing rose and then quickly planted it. It suddenly stopped growing and was now the exact same size as all the other roses.
Fern repeated this procedure with all of the other seeds until she had twenty identical roses adding on to her circle.
She is definitely not normal....
He suddenly lost his footing on his right foot and accidentally stepped on a small branch. The crunch filled the entire clearing. He saw Fern cock her head abruptly.
She cautiously pulled herself up and looked around. "Who's there?"
Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to reveal myself...Kurama slowly stood up from the bush. "Hi."
She just stared at him blankly.
"Here, I was just wanting to return this. You dropped it." He said, extending his hand which held her pin.
She snatched it out of his hand and then glared at him. "What did you see?"
"What?"
"I said, what did you see?"
"I didn't see anything."
Fern knew that nobody could see her powers. No one could ever see them again. Even though he denied it, she knew that this boy in front of her had witnessed everything. Everything is ruined...
"LEAVE." She screamed, pointing down the beaten path leading back to town. "JUST LEAVE."
Even though Kurama was a little confused by her, he turned and began to walk away slowly, casting occasional glances back at her to see that she had collapsed onto the ground and was now crying.
What happened? What did I do?
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"Kurama?? Kurama?!?!?! KURAMA!!"
The agitated tone in the voice caused Kurama to snap out of his daze, and he realized that he had been staring at the wall, still thinking about what had happened that afternoon with Fern. He looked down at his desk, where he was sitting. His homework sheet was blank.
"Hello, over here!!!"
Kurama turned his head to look at the window.
"Hello Botan." He said, trying to sound happy.
Botan sat on the windowsill comfortably, her oar in her hands. Kurama noticed that she looked slightly frazzled.
"You know, you really shouldn't have a tree right next to your window." She said in a dazed voice, "I nearly crashed into it."
She shook her head. "Yes, but that's not the point. Koenma has an assignment and he says that it's urgent. I didn't get the whole story but it's something about a murderer. Someone powerful. So get going!!!"
Kurama sighed quietly. "Okay." He would finish his homework some other time.
Botan mounted her oar and was about to take off when she abruptly turned her head to look back at Kurama. "Oh, and if you see Hiei, tell him that he needs to come to, okay??"
Kurama nodded.
She smiled brightly. "See you there!!" She was gone in a matter of seconds.
Kurama turned and slipped the sheet of paper back into his desk drawer. "I wonder where Hiei is.." He thought outloud.
"I'm right here."
Kurama turned his head to the direction the cold voice had come from and saw that where Botan had been sitting just minutes ago was now occupied by Hiei.
Kurama smiled slightly. "Hello." He finished organizing his homework sheets as Hiei watched with faint interest.
"I was listening the entire time."
"I know."
"A murderer." Hiei said quietly. "This could be something worthwhile for once."
Kurama's smile grew. "Just might."
His closed his desk drawer for good and turned to Hiei. "Well, better get going then..."
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"Glad you could join us, children." Yusuke said jokingly as Kurama and Hiei entered Koenma's office.
"Yeah, seems like we've been waiting forever." Kuwabara said, smiling goofily. Botan, who was leaning against the wall, nodded in agreement to Kuwabara's words.
The group then turned to face the large red chair behind the large desk, which had its back to them.
"Okay Koenma, we're all here. Now tell us what this big, important mission is!!!" Yusuke whined eagerly, folding his arms.
"Patience is a virtue, Yusuke." A voice floated from the large swivel chair. It spun around abruptly to reveal the prince of Spirit World, who was looking a bit angry and disgruntled. "So keep your pants on and I will!!" He said angrily.
Koenma jumped from the chair onto his desk and stood there for a moment, eyeing all of them. He then took a deep breath. "First of all, are any of you familiar with Rose Demons?"
Kurama and Hiei both nodded, but Yusuke and Kuwabara shared the same confused expression.
"Pardon?" Yusuke said faintly, scratching his head.
Koenma let out a heavy sigh. "They are an extinct race of demon which were wiped out centuries ago. Get with the program, you two!"
"Oh, right, I was just about to say that..." Kuwabara whispered, even though what Koenma had said looked like it was about the farthest thing from his mind.
"And do you know why they became extinct?" He said in an exasperated voice.
Kurama and Hiei now joined the two in slight confusion. "I never quite understood how..." Kurama said, looking deep in thought.
"They were killed off." Koenma whispered plainly. "By Kirya."
"I've heard of her." Hiei said, "She was a legend among demons."
"Exactly. Until we caught her. She was put in solitary confinement down in the Makai world."
"I don't get it." Yusuke moaned angrily, "Why would any demon want to kill off another race of demons?? And how could someone manage to do that anyway??"
"Well, it goes back centuries ago..." Koenma started slowly...
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"Kirya, we have told you once, we will tell you again, you have no business with us, we will not give them to you!" Gika screamed angrily, pointing a finger to the path leading away from the small village, "Now leave!!!"
"But Gika, you must understand," Kirya began in a cautious voice as she casually brushed her golden hair aside, "Your golden rose pins are visions of beauty, and they hold so much power!! I could give you anything, anything at all for them..."
"Maybe I didn't make myself clear." Gika growled, holding up a hand, containing a solitary black rose seed, "Our pins are everything, and you can not have a single one...Now leave before I decide that killing you would be a better option."
Kirya's polite smile was quickly turning into a frown, but she was desperate for the golden rose, and glanced around for something she could use against the rose demons. She noticed a small demon child, playing innocently with a small rose seed, not more than five feet away.
"You know, Gika, you shouldn't make threats like that." She said, trying to move non-conspicuously over to the child, "What if I told you that by refusing me the pins, you are endangering the lives of your own children?"
Gika suddenly noticed Kirya's movements toward the young one, but it was too late for action. In a flash, Kirya was hoisting the little girl up in the air, swinging her playfully.
"Let her go, Kirya!!" Gika cried desperately, lowering the hand that held the black seed. "Set her down now!!"
"I don't think so. Not until I get the rose pins I need." She raised her free hand and ran it softly over the child's face. She laughed when the small rose demon let out a small cry of fright. But the laughter stopped abruptly when a slender green vine wrapped tightly around her throat. It had just seemed to appear out of nowhere.
"Set her down or I will kill you." Another rose demon had appeared besides Gika, a look of hatred glowing in her eyes. The vines were protruding from her stomach, but it seemed to cause her no pain.
Gulping, Kirya dropped the child, who scurried away quickly. The demon cautiously removed the vine from her throat, and they seemed to melt back into her stomach.
Kirya growled, massaging her neck carefully. "One day, Gika. One day, I will return. You, your race, your children, your family, all will perish. And then I will have the power I crave for." She began to back away, still wearing a angry expression. "One day..." She then seemed to melt into the forest, disappearing into the trees.
Gika turned to the anonymous rose demon, wearing a nervous expression. "You don't think that she's actually capable of that ,do you Meia?"
"Empty threats, Gika. Empty threats." Meia scoffed, beginning to walk away. Gika turned to follow, but not before casting one look back at the forest path...
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"And she followed through with it, didn't she?" Kurama asked sadly.
Koenma nodded sullenly. "Kirya returned with her minions, hundreds of demons, and a full-fledged war broke out." There was a long pause of silence. "All rose demons were killed brutally."
The room was filled with a eery silence.
"How awful..." Botan muttered, staring at the ground.
"What happened to Kirya?" Kuwabara asked, staring at Koenma with a mournful look.
"She took all of the golden rose pins for herself and escaped. As you might imagine, this was a horrendous crime, and a reward was offered for her capture. We finally caught her hiding out at the edge of the Makai world, and she was put in solitary confinement, where she stayed for over three hundred years. Until now."
"She escaped a few weeks ago, and left a note." Koenma muttered, sounding more puzzled than before. He rummaged around his desk for a minute before holding up a small piece of paper. He handed it to Yusuke, who's eyes skimmed over the words for a moment.
"I don't get it."
He passed it to Kurama, who studied the page carefully. Scribbled in big, bold letters were the words.
She will perish, and I will finally collect what's mine.
"I don't understand much either." He said airily, handing the note to Hiei.
"Well, it doesn't matter if you understand or not, the main focus is that she's gone and has been traced to your town!!"
All four heads looked up at Koenma.
"Come again?" Yusuke asked, more confused now than ever.
"Oh yes, I forgot. We've been able to trace Kirya's energy to your town, where we suspect she's hiding, maybe undercover, maybe even masquerading as a human. For what reason, we have no clue. She seems to want something, and will not stop until she gets it." Koenma muttered, beginning to pace back and forth over his desk.
"So tell me," he said, though not looking up, "Have any new faces popped up lately? Hmm?"
"I haven't seen anyone new." Yusuke said, now studying the note once again.
"Me neither." Kuwabara said, peeking over Yusuke's shoulder.
"What about you, Kurama? Anybody new at around your home, or maybe your school?" Koenma asked, looking up at the red-haired kitsune expectantly.
The world school brought Kurama to the realization that he had seen some new people appear over the last few weeks. In fact, his school had recieved three new students those past three weeks.
First of all, there was Himoko, a , black-haired, red-eyed, student, who had started at Kurama's school around three weeks ago. She was very outspoken and seemed to match Kirya's personality from what he had heard about her.
Next, there was Kali, a bright, blond-haired girl who was very quiet but became quite the show-off when it came to intellectual ability. But the only thing he could really remember about her was that she had scoffed at everyone's behavior about the windowsill plant that had mysteriously grown lusciously after Fern had arrived.
Fern.
The last new student. The one who had became enraged when he had seen her strange gift. The one who possessed a golden rose pin, which seemed to match the definition of the pin Kirya had wanted for her own.
"Answer me this, Koenma, does Kirya have a strange gift with plants?"
Koenma seemed surprised by the question. "Well, the rose pin gives the user the power over plants..."
"Yes, about that...After Kirya's capture, what became of the rose pins she stole?"
"Well, um...we didn't really think of those...so..." Koenma looked very embarrassed. "She still has them."
"Well, that's just great, Koenma." Yusuke said sarcastically.
Meanwhile, Kurama's head was swimming with thoughts. All the characteristics seem to match. But...Fern just doesn't seem like the murdering type...but Kirya might just be good at hiding her true personality...It could be any of the new students...It might even not be any of them...
"Kurama? What is it?" Koenma brought Kurama back from his thoughts. "Do you have any ideas?"
Sighing, Kurama nodded. "I have a suspect in mind."
Koenma grinned. "Well, that's great!! Who is it?"
Kurama now shook his head. "I don't know for sure, though. Maybe if I investigate a bit first..."
Koenma's smile lessened into thin line. "Well, you do that, but make it snappy, okay?" He turned to face the rest of the group. "And all of you, keep your eyes open!" He sighed, sinking back down from the desk into his chair. "You can leave."
As the group headed towards the exit, Kurama felt sick to his stomach.
Fern...a murderer??
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Author
Well, Kurama's got some suspects, but it looks like Fern's the main one. What could come from this???
You'll find out more information about Himoko and Kali also next chapter.
Reviews Please!!!